Arts DEVO

Welcome students In the event that you needed any more convincing that Chico was the place you should be spending your six undergrad years, consider this Aug. 10 tweet by Jose Canseco, former Major League slugger and current player/manager of the Yuma Scorpions (league mates of the Chico Outlaws): “Chico’s downtown bars are as fun as Bourbon Street’s used to be.”

Um, I don’t know if the pride of the Oakland Anabolics is still suffering side effects from the glory days or not, but even though Chico isn’t likely to challenge The Quarter any time soon, it’s still a hella fun place to be. It’s extra-hella fun if your focus is wider than the distance between the next two happy hours. Do your liver and the rest of us a favor and replace just one drink with a shot at something else in town: hear one local band; attend one funky hipster happening at an art gallery; ride a whole five minutes on your bike to the biggest city park you’ve ever been to. It’s OK, the Jäger Girls will never notice that you were gone. Trust us.

Secret handshake Break the cryptogram and instantly join the cool kids in the inner sanctum of the Chico arts scene (hints: O = T; R = F; V = E; W = S; E = C): ECJDPDP WVEYVO WCPM. FVVO TO LJTSO CTSNW TO RJGV-OCJYOX WTOQYNTX RPY RQSDX RTWCJPS ETYTGTS.

Gimme a high kick! Just received a note that Chico State music theater alumna and current Brooklyn, N.Y., resident Ashley Morgan Monroe has been nominated for a 2001 New York Innovative Theatre Award. Monroe and two co-choreographers are being considered for Outstanding Choreography/Movement for their work on Circus of Circus, a “circus musical” inspired by George Orwell’s Animal Farm. Visit www.circusofcircus.com to see video of the some of the moves in action.

Look fresh Whether you’re headed off to Burning Man later this month or sticking around the cubicle for another week of Boring Man [AD note: I totally invented the term Boring Man and did not steal it from any of my co-workers], you could use some new duds. And, as luck would have it, the fashion artists of Chikoko are holding their annual summer sale—“featuring new wearable art and discounted original finds”—this Sunday, Aug. 21, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., at the Chico Art Center.

Rest in Peace Two weeks ago, on Aug. 4, local musician Gina Bloxham died after a serious battle with cancer. She was 50 years old. You may have known her locally as Gina Violina, her stage name as the violinist for Hibbity Skibbity, the acoustic-music and puppeteering duo she played in with her partner and guitarist August Kube. According to a message on www.weloveginaviolina.com, the website created for Violina to raise money for medical expenses, “She was surrounded by her closest loved ones while others expressed their love virtually from all around the world.”